Carbuncle: Causes

What causes a carbuncle?

A carbuncle develops when multiple hair follicles become infected by bacteria or fungus from the skin. Staphylococcus aureus is the type of bacteria most commonly associated with boils and carbuncles. The presence of infection draws in white blood cells from the body’s immune system to combat the infection. However, if the infection does not resolve quickly, pockets of bacteria, dead cells and fluids can develop, resulting in the formation of a carbuncle. The infection that causes carbuncles can be contagious; therefore, care should be taken to limit the spread of the infection.

Careful, frequent hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of infection. More and more superficial skin infections are caused by antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, even outside the clinic/hospital environment. Treating these challenging infections is expensive and takes longer than ordinary skin infections.

What are the risk factors for a carbuncle?

A number of factors increase the risk of developing carbuncles. Not all people with risk factors will get carbuncles. Risk factors for carbuncles include:

Reducing your risk of carbuncles

What is a carbuncle?

A carbuncle is a group of boils (infections associated with hair follicles) on the skin. A carbuncle forms when a number of boils group together to form one lump, or when multiple hair follicles become infected at once. When multiple carbuncles form, the condition is known as carbunculosis.

Common symptoms of carbuncles

How is a carbuncle treated?

Individual boils should heal on their own after several weeks, but larger boils and carbuncles may require medical treatment. You should never attempt to force a carbuncle to open or drain, since doing so could spread the infection. Once a carbuncle starts to drain, the area surrounding it should be cleaned often using warm, damp cloths or gauze.